Thursday, September 30, 2010

'Steal Your Face' DVD: Pirate that it plainly is, the band are having this release removed from Amazon, and the sale of it stoppedGood sense.The 10th anniversary footage gave the game away with the poor picture quality, and the fact that its history is well known to Motorhead's astute fans.The Gampel footage is probably recorded off-air, and the whole thing is just shoddy.

The Nicky Horne Interview - In 1983, when this interview took place, it was rare that Lemmy, or indeed Motorhead as a whole, were treated to 'in-depth' interviews. So fans sat in front of the TV with the VHS tape loaded, to watch a programme called 'Ear-Say,' where this was aired, ready to record this rare event. Now, through the leaping advances in technology, it's on You Tube; and those festering tapes have become redundant.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd7beik6j_8&NR=1It was the best Lemmy interview bar none, and it still stands up today, as do indeed his opinions, which have not changed.Lemmy told me around the time that the actual interview lasted for an hour, so the remainder of this little treasure is in an archive; somewhere...gathering dust.What a shame.

RIP - Don Partridge, the Bournemouth busker who took 'Rosie' to #1 in the charts many year's ago.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

DCI Banks: The first of a two part crime thriller televised after no less than three abysmal soaps in a row. Are some people's lives so shallow that they need the supposed 'thrill' of being involved in someone else's sordid lives to get their kicks?Talking points at work, maybe, but they used to be on maybe two evenings a week, now it's like playing hopscotch trying to avoid the plague of them, with Omnibus Editions at the weekends.Sloping off for a read usually excuses me from suffering the unrealistic withdrawal from crack cocaine by Phil Mitchell, teenage lesbians in Corrie, and the unwelcome return of Alfie Moon and Kat Slater in Ender's. But this cold / cough / sore throat / swollen glands bug came howling back with a vengience yesterday; just when Mrs. B and I thought it was retreating; so sitting in a chair watching that non compos mentis drivel was about all I felt capable of.And when they had finally disappeared over the horizon of disappointment, the long, hard, road to the widely advertised DCI Banks drama didn't live up to expectations.Yes, it's the hackneyed five schoolgirl's have gone missing, and some misfit who beats his wife, and is plugging the neighbour living opposite hum-drum wierd looking lunatic has them dead in his cellar storyline. And when a message on-screen told us the plot had gone back 3 months, and it did, for about 2 minutes, I'm wondering if it's their poor plotting, or my gibbering illness which made the whole thing a disappointment after such a great build-up?So, here's some Motorhead to get things back in perspective - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unFLp8lJ5K0

Last Evening's Jimi Hendrix Doc: Is well worth seeing on many levels -http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tw2d8 - and it's on this BBC iplayer link for the next couple of weeks.It reveals some facts which even my lifelong fascination for the man and his music hadn't unearthed before, (and some live footage), along with interview material by Lemmy Kilmister and many others.

Twitter And Tweets: Personally, much like the mobile phone, and despite the immense popularity of both, I am not a fan of either. I have the website, which Sarmad keeps updated regularly, and those who need it have the email address.But I have been asked to make the Motorhead Twitter site known, so here it is -http://twitter.com/myMotorhead

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Marianne Faithful: With Mrs. B still unwell from a cold/flu bug, she went to bed early. So the Soaps were one viewer short, and the satelite dish gasped when it trained in on Sky Arts during a non-soap addict's surf.A great programme about the social/political/pop culture of the 1960's hippie era was interesting. Being there at the time, it was odd, 45 years later, to look at things from that perspective.A Melvyn Bragg documentary about Marianne Faithfull followed, and was even better, and she sung a few songs, too, one of which, The Eyes Of Lucy Jordan, reminded me the 45 was here mouldering away in the vinyl collection.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KV-PTK0UZ4&feature=relatedFollowing that, another pop culture doc, titled 'Technicolour Dream' (which is out on DVD, I think), again, mostly filmed in the Swinging Sixties, and focussed on the downfall of Pink Floyd's Sid Barrett, with comment from various interviewees.Yes, it was the era of trying out new drugs, and LSD was one of them. As the then main creative thrust behind Pink Floyd, (songwriter/guitar/vocals), Sid took to much as a probable means of assisting his creativity, now that it, and his songs, were in the public eye; and it was too much for his metabolism to take.His work on early Floyd albums cast the dye for the future, and who else, before or since, has written a song about a bloke stealing women's knickers from washing lines?http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5b735_pink-floyd-arnold-layne-rare-promo_music

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Motorhead ' Steal Your Face' DVD: Notification arrived today from Amazon saying the DVD will now be released between September 29th and October 6th.

An American MHB also sent a scan of what is billed as a bootleg of the 30th anniversary gig. The cover artwork has been rather well done, a wierd configuration of Derek Rigg's 'Eddie' and Joe Petagno's war-pig - e.g. It's Iron Maiden's 'Killers' album sleeve, with the war-pig stuck over Eddie's head, and his left hand holding the 'Motorhead' Chiswick album sleeve.

Just think, if I was more PC adept, I could have pasted the darned thing in here for you to see, but I'm not that clever - Trevor!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Jimi Hendrix 40 Years RIP: My local Daily Echo ran a spread a couple of weeks ago remebering Jimi's untimely passing, 40 year's ago today. Grateful of the privilege that my comments were included, (it's proudly posted in the 'Scrapbook' section), my son, Steve, has just handed me with the centrefold from today's Daily Star, which also has an appropriate epitaph.

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Motorhead Story: Is probably a re-hash or re-release in different packaging of one of the 'unofficial' DVD releases of recent years, and was released on 6th September 2010, just 2 weeks ago.It popped up whilst looking at the 'Steal Your Face' release.Amazon have it for £8-99, but they are currently out of stock, and other suppliers are offering it at around £14 or so.But HMV have it for £8-99 including postage, so obviously a good bet.The cover (on Amazon) says it's a 2 DVD set, whilst the description say it's just one.

Dog Poo Wormerie: Worms are always in the s**t, it is their life, and only last evening during a desperate channel surf to find something worth watching, Alan Titchmarsh showed the slow-mo disintegration of the cow pat by its various living organisms.Worms, oddly enough, were not amongst the protagonists in the cow dung, but on a recent visit to a local plant nursery, they had a plastic bin with a lid, purporting to be a dog poo wormerie.More s*** for the worms, but they appear to revel in turning any kind of faeces into something worthwhile, and for that we must be grateful as they continue the cycle of life.Yet on another programme, people were trying to survive under canvas and live off the land, and were frying worms and eating them.Well, whenever we look at or pick up a worm, they look quite clean and presentable, but eating them fried after taking them from a dog poo wormerie...well, I think I'll pass.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Motorhead - 'Steal Your Face' - Live:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/B003SX4PKW/ref=dp_image_text_0?ie=UTF8&n=283926&s=dvdThis has just dropped into my In-Box. I know nothing about it. Presumably it is official? It has Lemmy, Phil, and Mikkey as band member's, but I can't read any of the other detail.And it's released on Monday.The fact that it says 'The Early Years - Live' makes me suspect it's nothing new.Does anyone have any idea?I have looked at HMV and Play, and they have no more info.It may be a re-issue of that 'Early Years' 39 minute thing?

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Iron Fist: The (very) short movie: A discussion arose on the Message Board recently about this - and here it is...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENjX0SaG4vAIt makes you realise why Doug Smith's career as a movie director was short-lived.

Bouquet Of Barbed Wire: The second part of this drama televised last evening was very good. But it's just the filthy rich shagging one another, and each other, as they always have, and always will because they can afford the divorce settlement.But imagine a different scanario, where Peter works as a refuse collector on the wheelie bins, and Cassie grafts on the checkout in the local supermarket, and daughter Prue attends the local mundane college; just like ordinary people. And Gavin was Prue's lecturer, just the same, but Peter's bit of fluff, Sarah, also works on the bins.And imagine those characters playing much the same roles as they do in the TV drama, but in real life, they live on a housing estate in a town near you or I.How would they solve their multiple indescretions?Why, they would phone up and book a spot on The Jeremy Kyle Show, of course!But because they're posh, it makes things interesting.If they were just ordinary folk, they would be the talk of the neighbourhood.The women would be slappers, and the blokes would be referred to as "not being able to keep it in his pants."Funny old life, innit!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Motorhead's Long-Awaited Album: will be titled 'The World Is Yours' - see this link for more information -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorhead#2010_-_The_World_Is_YoursOnly Phil's guitar parts were recorded in Cardiff. Lemmy and Mikkey recorded their input in Los Angeles, as has been usual.It looks as if it will be released at the end of October, to tie in with the UK tour.One of last year's tour t-shirts had The World Is Yours as the wording on the design, and it seems the band liked it enough to bring it through as their new album title.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Warranty Or Warren Tee?: What is this new way of speaking? After hearing it mispronounced for a number of years, I thought it was something to do with the Welsh, as my daughter-in-law's father says it like that.But now there's a car advert on TV, and the voice-over bloke also calls it a Warran Tee.Fast realising why we are placed on the planet for the three score years plus ten, in that as we age we become reluctant Victor Meldrew-like characters whether we like it or not, we also start questioning the world a great deal more.Why is it words like that are annoying?Why does the Go Compare advert make me hit the Mute button?Why am I tired of products advertising panty liners that soak up women's bladder leaks, tampons, their giggly meeting discussing their hard stools, and Feminax, which softens and drives them through?We chaps don't have any adverts.If we can't go, we eat prunes, or bite the bullet, or the toilet seat.If we have drips, we shake it and get rid of them.Why do we have to endure these women's things on our TV sets?Women need them, so why do they have to be advertised?

Friday, September 10, 2010

Troma Films Lemmy Tribute: It has been posted on the now familiar www.imotorhead.com 'Latest News' link. Lemmy has been in quite a few of Lloyd Kaufman's Troma movies, and this little video vignette touches on each of them.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Mistress Bates, Not Master: It appears as if toy manufacturer, Matel, have been asked to take one of their products, a vibrating Harry Potter broomstick, off the market. Parents have been complaining that their 12 to 17 year-old daughters are spending far too much time 'riding' the battery operated toy. But then, maybe the mothers' might not complain quite so bitterly, if they tried it out themselves?

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Minette Walters: is a #1 Best Selling author who lives here in Dorset, in the Dorchester / Bovington area of our county. Her 'Fox Fire' novel was set in Bovington, and was an excellent read. On my 'to-read' list I have her 'The Chameleon's Shadow' and, scrolling through her works on Amazon recently, I noticed one of her books has been dedicated to her dogs, named Benson & Hedges; which is apt, as Minette is a committed smoker; and why ever not.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Bouquet Of Barbed Wire: Last evening (and for the next 2 Mondays) on ITV1 was an updated re-make of the original, which made Susan Penhailgon famous, (where is she now?), some 30 years ago.This time, Trevor Eve is the rakeish but well-britched husband who is suddenly confronted with a pregnant daughter, (for whom he had far higher aspirations in life), who has an asshole for her (shotgun wedding) husband; a wife who is trying to resist an affair with a randy family friend and collegaue of Eve's; and much like the original, there's a whole lotta shagging going on!After his recent 'Waking The Dead' appearances, Trevor looks decidedly younger without the designer stubble he sported during most of those series. He is, in fact, just 2 months younger than I in reality, but as the owner of a Bentley, has a decidedly healthier bank balance.Well worth a look, or catch up on their iplayer.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Reg Presley: Lead singer with The Troggs, recently suffered a stroke whilst on holiday with his family in Malaga, Spain. Good wishes for a speedy recovery, and here's a version of Wild Thing I had not seen before - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5Fk5hbourM

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Jimi Hendrix 40 Years RIP: September 18th 1970. It seems like yesterday. Eating my dinner after getting home from work, the BBC News on TV, (in black & white), announcing that Jimi Hendrix was dead.Nick Churchill at our local Daily Echo had emailed when I arrived home from Tenerife a couple of weeks ago. Nick is another true rock 'n' roller, and he said they would be running a feature about Jimi, and could I add an anecdote?Love to.An honour.A privilege to be thought of, never mind asked.So I got on with it and emailed it back, and yesterday it appeared, along with memoirs from other local musicians and fans, in the Saturday supplement - a double page spread. (Which Sarmad will be adding to the 'Scrapbook' at some point).At the time I had a superb collection, official LP's, bootlegs on coloured vinyl, and quite a few cassettes. There was Woodstock, Maui, Hawaii, Monterey, Fehmarn Island, The Dusty Springfirld Show; etc; and when kids came along, we ran through a bad financial patch and I sold them for £300.That was 1978, they would probably fetch £1,000 or more today?But we needed to eat and pay some pressing bills.Most of those same records are still available today, and admittedly, the label they were on would increase their rarity value, but there is only one I really miss.Back then, bootlegs were advertised freely in the press, because they were in their infancy, and band's looked upon them as a feather in their caps rather than a loss of revenue. Virgin Records, Branson's shop in London, had a half page ad in Sounds or NME, and amongst the albums was a bootleg titled 'Live Experience 1967-68.' I sent away and much to my surprise, it came back. It was quite dodgy ordering bootlegs by post, and fans were often ripped off and had nothing returned. But Branson was always a good ol' hippie, and you got what you paid for. It had some excellent tracks from Liverpool Empire, so good, they had probably been recorded officially, and the legendary Lulu BBC TV show.Well, I had the Lulu show linked here a short while back, and it is still a stunning performance to this day. It was so outrageous for an artiste to just stop playing, as JH did, and dedicate and play 'Sunshine Of Your Love' for the recently split-up Cream. Well, my dear boy, one just didn't do things like that, and on the jolly old BBC, good grief, whatever next! But it went out live, so there was nothing anyone could do, so history was made in more ways than one.The Experience Hendrix website provides quite a few of the bootlegs, officially, but Liverpool Empire has never been advertised. It was a cracking show, and like I said, the quality was excellent.Considering Jimi was a hero and a legend for 4 years, he left an amazing catalogue of music, and although you would have to be my age to say this, I am still thrilled I managed to see him play live - twice.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

U Be Dead: Subliminally, or perhaps it has quirked your interest, the trailer for this TV drama has been playing during the ad breaks for the past week or so. Here's a longer trailer from You Tube -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMnlfX0hw2sIt's a 90 minute precis of a 5 year stalking, which took place between London and here in the Poole and Parkstone areas.So it's a well known case, locally, but not only that, the Pemberton family, (Debra Pemberton was the focus of the stalking), are family friends, so this will be particulary poingnant.Actor David Morrisey, who plays Jan Falkowski, was in Basic Instinct 2, and Tara Fitzgerald, who plays Debra, has played the role of a CSI pathologist in Waking The Dead.Life would have been different for everyone concerned had this twist of fate not taken place, but this will be the best bit of TV for the weekend, because it did.It's on ITV1 at 9pm tomorrow. Anyone interested outside the UK can pick it up in the Net on the ITViplayer afterwards.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Skew Siskin: It has just been officially announced that Skew Siskin will be special guests on Motorhead's November UK Tour. This is excellent news, and for those of you who disgracefully haven't, grab as many of their albums as you can, and give yourself a treat by playing them again and again. They are one hell of a band, and all of their albums are quite stunning, with narry a duff track. They have been pitifully overlooked by the rock media, they are loud, they are on the razor's edge, and they will rock your effing socks off! Lemmy loves them and has recorded and worked with them for ten or more years. Do yourself a favour.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Speed-Speed-Speedfreak: As a Mick Farren fan since 'The Tale Of Willy's Rats' in 1975, the man can do no wrong, and if he wrote a book about creating a dog poo wormerie, then I would buy and read it.Thankfully, he hasn't, but I became impatient and couldn't wait until the October UK publication to read Speedfreak, so I bought one via a UK supplier selling it on the Abe Books site.As ever, Mick's research is excellent, and despite not being a speedfreak, I find myself enthralled with this historical document on the subject.The book has been shaped to the cover illustration of a speed capsule, which is a novelty in itself, and what the pages divulge will remain with you forever.An excellent read, and well worth ordering as a pay-day treat.